As he ascended the staircase to the first floor, he grasped the door handle and pushed it open. Inside, he found a beautifully decorated hall adorned with dark patches of leather from various animals. The tables and seating were filled with ascenders of all ages, from adults to groups of teenagers sporting a variety of magical artifacts. In one corner of the hall, some ascenders who had decided to take a break after a long day's work engaged in conversations with others, gathering information for the quests they planned to undertake that day. Others who finished their quests early were happily counting their rewards.
After surveying the bustling hall, he stepped through the door, drawing several amazed glances from both ascenders and masters due to his striking good looks. Some stares were curious, while others were indifferent. He walked confidently, disregarding the attention, and his gaze landed on a slender cubic artifact that emitted a blue glow, showcasing a range of creatures and their power levels along with danger ratings in the top right corner.
"Oh, an array! Looks like there's a law master present. The symbols indicate it's a low-grade, so it must be a low-level law master!" he remarked.
"Oh well," he continued, examining the quests listed for hunting creatures to earn some money. "Money!" He chuckled, finding it amusing that a being of absolute power was considering ways to make money — now that was a first! As he prepared to choose a quest for the day, the entrance door burst open, revealing ten well-armed ascenders, all wearing arrogant smirks.
They made their way to the verification center, where they encountered a young man. His slim figure was framed by flowing hair that was as white as clouds, complemented by matching clothing. However, it was his eyes that captured the attention of everyone — they were red as blood, slit and dilated like a dragon's, evoking awe from some ascenders in the group, while others felt envy due to his unparalleled handsomeness. An unattractive man stepped forward, annoyed at the presence of such a peerless figure, and he glared at our protagonist, noting that he sensed no spiritual energy, and therefore felt no threat.
"Hey, get lost!" a large, muscular man with a long hammer slung over his back and a scar over his left eye yelled.
The atmosphere in the guild turned tense; this wasn't the first time jealousy had led to such hostility. Contrary to their expectations, our main character ignored him and continued with what he was doing. Some masters in the hall raised their eyebrows in surprise at his calm demeanor.
As he was about to react in irritation, our protagonist stated, "I'm done," as he selected a quest, still unfazed by the buzzing insults behind him. Just as he was about to complete his quest, he sensed a murderous intent aimed at him. Turning around, he saw an ascender charging at him with a long blade.
"How dare this noble brat ignore me!" the assailant shouted as he brought the blade down with the intent to slash from shoulder to leg, while others watched in anticipation, expecting our protagonist to meet his end.
As the blade approached, just a meter away, he raised his left hand in a V shape with two fingers extended. The ascenders watched with bated breath as he smirked.
"Die!" the attacker shouted. "Kehh!" gasped the guild members in shock, along with his teammates.
Our character spoke calmly, "Don't you understand your own limits? If you want to determine your limits, attack me again, and I promise I won't show mercy!"
With that, he effortlessly broke the sword with his fingers and tossed the broken weapon aside, sailing through the gazes filled with disbelief. Approaching the exit, he exited with a loud "Bang."
The sudden noise jolted everyone in the guild, sparking a flurry of discussions about what they had just witnessed. "What was that?!" someone exclaimed. "A semi-mortal stage ascender was handled just like that! So cool!"
As the murmurs continued, the muscular man known as Kam dropped his sword and began to tremble in fear. "Those eyes… those aren't human eyes!" he stammered. Just before he collapsed from the terror, one of his teammates caught him, preventing further embarrassment. Kam, regaining his composure, thanked Herma, a fifty-six-year-old man.
"That was anticlimactic," the group leader, Arsen, finally said. "Well, let's go, and later you can fill us in on what happened," he instructed. Kam nodded, and the teammates filed out the door. Meanwhile, someone obscured from view observed the entire encounter and remarked, "That's interesting," before fading away into the shadows.